I can't get over the fact that an individual would sit and plan to murder police officers in cold blood, all of which were upstanding citizens and family boulders. Early Sunday morning, a suspect walked into a local coffee shop and opened fire on 4 police officers who who working on their laptops catching up on paperwork. 3 were killed instantly and the 4th put up a struggle, managing to get a shot off into the suspects upper torso.
What do you tell the 9 children that have been left without a mother or father? Seriously, NINE children are without one of their parents because of the conscious actions of a thoughtless individual. This is a sad time in Washington State where just last month, Officer Timothy Brenton was gunned down while sitting in his patrol car with a trainee. That suspect has been since apprehended.
Who are these 'vigilante' criminals that stalk police officers?? The most recent gunman, Maurice Clemmons, had been spotted by a Seattle Police Officer early Tuesday morning. The suspect failed to listen to commands by the officer and attempted to reach for a gun that had been taken from one of the previously slain officers. The officer then opened fire with 4 shots, killing the 37 year old man. To be perfectly honest, I am glad that things ended the way they did. With this days judicial system it would have taken forever to convict him of the murders, not to mention the thousands of tax payers dollars. In my mind, I would rather pay for the 4 bullets used to end the cop killers life.
For those of you who are not familiar with the slain officers, they are:
Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, a 13-year law enforcement veteran who leaves a wife and three children.Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, a 13-year law enforcement veteran who leaves a wife and three children.
Ronald Owens, 37, a 12-year veteran who leaves a wife and daughter.
Tina Griswold, 40, a a 14-year veteran who leaves a husband and two children.
Greg Richards, 42, an 8-year veteran who leaves a wife and three children.
My prayers and condolences go out to their families and friends. Let's hope that this is the last of these horrifying acts. I sure hope these incidents don't give any ideas to others around the country.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Local Support Grows While Restaurant Arsonist Still At Large
It’s amazing to think that someone would intentionally set businesses ablaze, especially now. With restauranteurs feeling the pain of this economic position, the last thing they want to worry about is somebody out there during the night that is intentionally destroying their livelihood. There have been 14 intentionally set fires in the Seattle area since June, and this has a lot of business owners losing sleep at night…some of whom are even contemplating sleeping in their restaurants to avoid a catastrophe.
Seattle has always been a very focused and close knit community, especially when it comes to the neighborhoods that intertwine through the city. There has been a reward posted at $20,000 – but I don’t know if I would take the money if I had information…perhaps just some free meals would be payment enough, haha. That reward money should go towards getting the destroyed businesses back on their feet.
The most recent act was on Nov. 9 outside Olive You, which was said to have caused roughly $20,000 in damage. Local entrepreneurs and community residents got together on Nov. 10 to discuss options on how to prevent future arsons and catch whoever is doing this. Too bad real life isn’t like CSI where they can catch the guy in less than a day! Also, local businesses are assisting any way they can to help the restaurants that have been targeted. Wing Dome has offered to contribute some of their revenue to the Greenwood Fire Relief Funds. On top of that, the owners of Sip & Ship (a shipping service with an espresso bar) have agreed to let the nonprofit Green Bean Coffee House use their coffee-bar equipment and operate out of the Sip & Ship space while the burned-down business plans their future course of action.
To me, this is such an amazing act of kindness it blows me away. To see that Seattleites are still community oriented and so willing to assist in times of need, it makes me proud to live in such a great city! Thank you, Greenwood, for restoring faith back into our communities.
Seattle has always been a very focused and close knit community, especially when it comes to the neighborhoods that intertwine through the city. There has been a reward posted at $20,000 – but I don’t know if I would take the money if I had information…perhaps just some free meals would be payment enough, haha. That reward money should go towards getting the destroyed businesses back on their feet.
The most recent act was on Nov. 9 outside Olive You, which was said to have caused roughly $20,000 in damage. Local entrepreneurs and community residents got together on Nov. 10 to discuss options on how to prevent future arsons and catch whoever is doing this. Too bad real life isn’t like CSI where they can catch the guy in less than a day! Also, local businesses are assisting any way they can to help the restaurants that have been targeted. Wing Dome has offered to contribute some of their revenue to the Greenwood Fire Relief Funds. On top of that, the owners of Sip & Ship (a shipping service with an espresso bar) have agreed to let the nonprofit Green Bean Coffee House use their coffee-bar equipment and operate out of the Sip & Ship space while the burned-down business plans their future course of action.
To me, this is such an amazing act of kindness it blows me away. To see that Seattleites are still community oriented and so willing to assist in times of need, it makes me proud to live in such a great city! Thank you, Greenwood, for restoring faith back into our communities.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
How the Coffee Shop Scene Is Altering Patron Behavior:
I was reading a recent article in Nightclub & Bar Magazine and it definitely made me think a little bit about how the "coffee shop" era has evolved our way of going out. Have you noticed the crowds through the night staying the same lately? More often than not, consumers are starting to “bar hop” less and less, and are beginning to treat their venue of choice much like a coffee shop.
The Starbucks and Tully’s of the world have “trained” the new generation of party goers by changing the way bar customers view going out. People want a place to sit and talk, and it’s becoming more evident with the lush establishments with big sofas and circle style furniture; they are setting the scene for people to get comfortable and stay with their friends all night. This is a great time to think about your décor and see what you can do to make it more inviting for patrons to stay longer.
The numbers prove that venues based solely around dance floors are taking a hit with the economy. The establishments that have one or two smaller, low-key dance floors are achieving higher sales-per-square-foot.
Current customer research shows that “lack of seating” is a large factor today; it was a nearly nonexistent comment 5 years ago. This all goes back to the preconditioning from the coffee shops. Teens start to hang out at these venues at an early age, getting them use to this type of interaction. In turn, this affects their adult behavior and preference in bars…they have been groomed to enjoy the calmer, more conversation driven environment.
The research and tracking conducted by Nightclub & Bar Magazine shows that guests are now staying longer at venues compared to 5 years ago. It’s not that patrons are more concerned about more stringent DUI/DWI laws, but more that this trend is based on a new social behavior. They believe it fits into the new “let’s sit, talk and have coffee” mentality of the new younger bar customer.
The Starbucks and Tully’s of the world have “trained” the new generation of party goers by changing the way bar customers view going out. People want a place to sit and talk, and it’s becoming more evident with the lush establishments with big sofas and circle style furniture; they are setting the scene for people to get comfortable and stay with their friends all night. This is a great time to think about your décor and see what you can do to make it more inviting for patrons to stay longer.
The numbers prove that venues based solely around dance floors are taking a hit with the economy. The establishments that have one or two smaller, low-key dance floors are achieving higher sales-per-square-foot.
Current customer research shows that “lack of seating” is a large factor today; it was a nearly nonexistent comment 5 years ago. This all goes back to the preconditioning from the coffee shops. Teens start to hang out at these venues at an early age, getting them use to this type of interaction. In turn, this affects their adult behavior and preference in bars…they have been groomed to enjoy the calmer, more conversation driven environment.
The research and tracking conducted by Nightclub & Bar Magazine shows that guests are now staying longer at venues compared to 5 years ago. It’s not that patrons are more concerned about more stringent DUI/DWI laws, but more that this trend is based on a new social behavior. They believe it fits into the new “let’s sit, talk and have coffee” mentality of the new younger bar customer.
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